This forum isn't the Holy Roman Church, so talk of 'schism' is perhaps a tad hyperbolic. If I needed to make an analogy of the slight pecking going on some times, I'd go for mother hens worried that their imaginary chicks don't get the choicest grains.
Sticking with analogies, the Morera Giselle was like a lovely glass of vintage red after two effervescent champagne cocktails.
Morera made me notice the beauty of the choreography. There is something in the way she dances that regularly makes me think "what a brilliant sequence of steps perfectly matching the music".
Her mad scene was quite intense, and at some point she showed what looked like real anger, which I thought worked really well to flesh out the character and her agony.
I think it's fair to say that Kish needs to work further on getting his stamina back. He was running out of steam very quickly, but he made his ballerina look good in every lift or interaction, and swung his cape admirably (other Albrechts, please arrange a cape swinging session with him) so overall there was a fair bit to like in his performance. (I will admit that he is not one of my imaginary chicks).
The pd6 wasn't as glorious as it can be and I thought the combination of Harrods and Dyer didn't work as well as it might sound on paper. I did enjoy her solo and it's lovely to have her back on stage. Yudes and Sissons were a delight as well, and at times near perfectly synchronised.
That leaves Myrtha, attendants and the corps, and what can I say that hasn't been said before about the corps? I feel they need a special billing for this ballet, and since listing their names isn't a workable option for the cast list, they should at least be billed as 'the marvellous, the amazing, the one and only CdB of the RB'. Or perhaps something a little more subtle.
Mendizabel's Myrtha is proper fierce and she really commands the stage. She also seems to have escaped the Halloween make-up department and her subtle make up works so much better for me. She was well paired with Cowley and Turk as attendance and I thought Olivia Cowleys entrance as Moyna was particularly splendid (Yes, Cowley is one of my imaginary chicks).

I have seen the effects of bad workplace relations on a number of occasions, and what it can do to reasonably well adjusted, confident individuals. If anyone feels they need to leave a company because they are managed out or they can't continue working in an environment that affects their mental wellbeing, they don't just lose a job, they lose faith in their abilities, their confidence and sometimes their health. Stress can do awful things to people.
Some of the issues mentioned might not sound like the end of the world by themselves, but living in constant expectation of being next in line will wear people down.
Sometimes life is more important than art.

The inexperienced standee next to me decided that I should move up into the space next to me and kept pushing my elbow non stop. Thanks for ruining the second act of Giselle for me, hope someone returns the favour. The thing I really didn't get was that there was ample space for her, when she stood back for a bit (only to return and push me again), there was nearly a space and a half between me and the next person and she had about an elbows width spare on the other side when I looked over at some point. Weird woman.

I wish other arts organisation would ditch their printed brochures as well (sorry Alison), the amount of stuff that goes straight from my letterbox to recycling is ridiculous at times.
Perhaps they hey could provide a PDF brochure for home printing for people who prefer paper.

I loved Scarlett's Sandman, so I shall continue crossing my fingers for his Swanlake. Otherwise 2020 might consist of a couple of Woolf Works for me, and maybe the odd triple that doesn't have Strapless smack-bang in the middle.
2020 might end up being an excellent year for extended stays by visiting companies...

Two woman in their early twenties were discussing shows they had seen previously before the start of a show at the Barbican. One of them holds forth on how audiences at Sadlers Wells are usually so cool and, like, super enthusiastic, really engaged and totally showing their appreciation for the performers. But recently she saw something by ENB, and OMG, how amazing those artist were, how incredibly skilled, but of course the audience for that type of dance is all British, middle-aged and upperclass - someone even told her off for enjoying herself!!!
No prize for guessing who was munching through a bag of crisps all through the performance.
Feeling a little petty, I couldn't resist checking how she was showing her appreciation at the end of the show. Never seen such a limp-wristed impersonation of a clap on someone who is totally into showing appreciation for performers and super excited for this super cool show.

I accidentally saw a Peeping Tom show a while ago and was entranced , so I booked Moeder when I noticed it being on at the Barbican.
Moeder felt like delving into a surreal reality where everything is oddly on edge, clinical but intense at the same time. Bits of it were heartbreaking, short interludes of humour dissolved into loss, tragedy became quietly amusing - I find it quite difficult to describe, but would definitely recommend it to anyone who is not opposed to surrealism and creepy nurses with very long arms. The piece is about Mothers and covers a spectrum of human relationships - expecting parents, unexplainable tragedies, family bonds, old men mourning their long dead mother.
In one scene a woman is essentially making out with a coffee machine (first image in the post above) which then dies, and somehow the death of the coffee machine, its attempted resuscitation and the aftermath turn from a bit of silliness into a powerful study of grief.
The physical theatre / dance element were sparse but pretty impressive, oddly disjointed movements, people falling and trying to get back onto their feet, a performer running up the walls, raging over the stage kicking furniture. (I did spend some time wondering about their average injury rate, there were no holds barred in the way some of the performers threw themselves across, or on, the stage).
There were bits that made me think of Crystal Pite's Betroffenheit or Kathy Marston's Witch-hunt in terms of telling a story (not choreo), some elements of repetition and oddness were perhaps reminiscent of Pina Bausch pieces, but all together this was really its own piece of theatre with a very distinct and interesting language.

The dreaded singalong is spreading from musicals to restaurants now. Having a quick bite before tonight's Giselle, I was treated to the dulcet tones of a middle-aged 80s pop fan. *Le Sigh*
Hope this doesn't spread to opera...Carmen has a few well known tunes, innit?